


Croft - In The Days of Her Youth

by mikayla_rose_316



Category: Tomb Raider & Related Fandoms
Genre: Origin Story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 11:20:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6751873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikayla_rose_316/pseuds/mikayla_rose_316
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an origin story, in the same vein of Smallville or Gotham... starting from the beginning. Within, a young Lara Croft, still reeling from the news of her parents recent demise, is forced to deal with thing beyond her comprehension while balancing the academic career that her parents had always prioritized for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Croft - In The Days of Her Youth

**Author's Note:**

> So this is pretty far from the Clexa fics I've posted so far. I wrote this a while ago, but I wanted to post it here to hopefully fill the void in my writer's block. 
> 
> Please feel free to follow me or drop me an ask on Tumblr @ [Counting Karma](http://countingkarma.tumblr.com/)

A cold, frozen breeze blew in off the coast of northern Scotland, coming in strong over the North Sea and the salty inlet known as the Moray Firth. Foreboding clouds hung heavy in the sky, a dark icy grey. Lara stormed out of administrative building at a full run, oblivious to the biting chill though, as burning hot tears stung her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. Her long dark hair whipped across her face, hindering her already blurred vision even more. 

She continued across the campus at full speed, not stopping until she reached her boarding house. The Windmill Lodge Boarding House. She ran in, passing concerned housemates and ignoring their inquiries as she ran up the stairs. Finally reaching the sanctuary of her room, she slammed the door behind her and threw herself onto her bed. She hugged her pillow tightly, gasping for breath, soaked in a cold sweat. Her mind was numb, her heart throbbing in sheer agony, her body wracked physically by violent sobs.

When she had woken up this morning, Lara could have never guessed that this is how the day was going to turn out, but that's how bad news was. It always finds a way to sneak up on you when you least expect it. It comes out of nowhere, it hits you, and it knocks you on your ass. Lara had been sitting in her advanced algebra class, when her teacher received a call from the Headmistress of the school. The Headmistress requested that Lara immediately come to her office. Of course the whole way there, Lara was trying to figure out what she could possibly be in trouble for. She hadn't broken any of the school rules, at least not this week.

"You wanted to see me, Mrs. Sanders?" Lara asked, entering the Headmistress' office, after being sent in by the receptionist in the waiting area. Mrs. Sanders was a neat and tidy person, with a neat and tidy appearance. Her blueish-white hair though looked kind of like a Brillo pad.

"Yes, I did Ms. Croft." Mrs. Sanders replied, gesturing at the chair across from her desk. "Please sit." The Headmistress then proceeded to tell the young Lara Croft, that she had just been informed that both of Lara's parents had died in a plane crash while flying over the arctic. Poor Mrs. Sanders had tried to break the news as gently as possible, but she was really more of a 'rip the band-aid off' kind of woman. Lara's reaction probably didn't help matters either. In fact, the rest of the discussion she had had with the Headmistress was mostly a blur. She felt as though she had been in her office for some time, but couldn't remember anything else the Headmistress had said, or what else had been discussed. 

For a long time Lara refused to move from her bed. Even when her roommate, and best friend, Sam came home. 

Sam entered the room in her usual excitable flurry, immediately launching into mid-conversation, taking several moments before noticing Lara's current physical and emotional condition. Even after that though, Lara ignored even her best friend's genuine concern. Luckily for Lara, one of the Matrons of the house came upstairs moments later and adamantly led Sam out of the room. Lara heard them talking in hushed voices in the hallway. She knew they were talking about her, but she just couldn't be bothered enough to care one way or the other. 

Lara awoke some time later disoriented and slightly confused. She realized she was laying at an odd angle that she didn't normally sleep at, and the lighting, or lack there of rather, was all wrong compared to when she normally woke up. Then she remembered. A painfully brief pang of hope hit her, but before it could even register, she felt the dampness of her pillow, still wet from her tears. It hadn't been a dream. She felt the despair and darkness quickly closing back in around her. She felt like she was going to start crying a gain, but held back the tears by sheer force of will. Clenching her fists, shutting her eyes tightly and grinding her teeth for several long heartbeats. 

Finally, with what her friends had affectionately come to refer to as a 'Croft-like determination,' she forced herself to sit up in her bed, swinging her feet onto the floor. She felt exhausted despite having just woke up; still having no idea how long she had actually been asleep. Digging her phone from her pocket, she realized it was just after 8:30 at night. No wonder it was pitch black outside. She also realized she'd missed her final two classes of the day, as well as supper. Her stomach reminded her that the latter took priority at the moment. She stood, her legs feeling shaky and unstable. She considered just falling over and going back to bed, but her stomach grumbled in protest to that idea. Nodding her head in agreement to the internal dialogue she was having with herself, she headed out of the room and down the hall. The light in the hall was harshly bright as she left her room, but she got used to it quickly, her eyes adjusting by the time she reached the top of the stairs. 

Still in a mostly numb state of mind though, she felt disjointed from everything around her, like none of it was quite real in that moment. Not the house. Not her life. Certainly not the news of her parent's death. It couldn't be true, but deep down she knew it was. Her hand wrapped around the banister. It was solid and there for her to hold onto, and she knew all of it was true. 

Sam of course was the first one to see her, as Lara reached the bottom of the stairs. Not knowing how to do anything subtly, she jumped up from the couch and ran over to Lara, throwing her arms around Lara's neck. She sounded as if she was about to start crying herself as she told Lara how sorry she was to hear about her parents. Sylvia, the same Matron that had led Sam away earlier, was the next one to come over, echoing Sam's words of comfort, if in a much more subdued manner. Soon all the girls who were still awake, which Lara was glad to see weren't many, came over and took turns giving her hugs and sharing their condolences. 

"We're all here for you," Sylvia said finally. "Just let me know if you want to talk about anything." 

Lara nodded her head. "Thanks." She replied. "Right now, I just want to get something to eat, and go back to bed though." 

"Of course." Sylvia said, nodding in understanding. 

Not in the mood to cook anything, Lara went to the kitchen and settled for a bowl of cereal. Two actually, she was hungrier than she thought she was. She finished her second bowl and rinsed her dishes in the sink; by then it was almost time for lights out. Heading back up to her room, it seemed that everyone else had already gone to bed. The living room was empty and dark, the TV was off already and the lights were out.

Arriving in their shared room, Lara found Sam sitting on the edge of her bed, brushing out her short, dark hair. Lara, as always, noticed how attractive her friend was, but for the first time in a long time, wasn't in the mood to tease her about it. She knew Sam was one hundred percent straight, and usually they both had fun with it. Tonight though, for obvious reasons, Lara wasn't really in the mood. Sam noticed this too. She opened her mouth to speak, trying to come up with something that might lighten the mood, but for once in her life found nothing to say. As Lara took a seat on her own bed, facing Sam's direction, Sam gave up on trying to be witty or funny. She stood, bringing her hairbrush with her as she sat down next to her best friend. Without a word, she began brushing out Lara's luxurious dark mane. Lara's hair was a point of pride for the girl, and envy for all the others. Rightly so too; Lara's hair was so long and thick, and so silky soft and smooth, especially right after being brushed. Lara didn't move or say a single word of protest, which Sam took as a sign of consent, and for nearly half an hour, they sat there in silence. Both lost deep in thought. 

Time seemed to lose meaning for Lara as she sat there, no single definitive thought taking priority over another. Her mind simply flitted from one thing to another. 

"Done." Sam said. Her voice quiet and soft even in the silence. 

"Thanks." Replied Lara. 

She turned to her friend and they embraced in a long, warm hug. Lara had never felt so comforted, and had never needed to be comforted so badly. She shut her eyes, trying to squeeze back another bout of tears, but couldn't this time. It wasn't the heavy, body-wracking sobs of pain and agony like before, just a steady stream of tears from a feeling of deep loss and sorrow. They flowed continuously with no signs of stopping either. 

Lara opened her eyes, they cracked with dried tears, and felt sore and puffy from so much crying. Sunlight filtered in through the blinds. She smelled Sam's strawberry shampoo, and felt the warmth of her friend's body pressed against her. Lara realized she had cried herself to sleep, and Sam had held her all night. It had been a long time since Lara had felt that loved. 

Despite her strong desire to simply lay in bed all day, getting cuddles from her best friend, Lara knew that they both needed to get up and get ready for the school day. Lara groaned internally at the thought. School was definitely not at the top of her priority list at the moment. Still, she rolled carefully onto her back, gently stirring her friend to wake. 

Sam's eyes fluttered open, and a small smile touched her lips. 

"Good morning, gorgeous." Lara said, with a matching smile. 

"Good morning." Replied Sam, as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. They were both quiet for a long time. Brown eyes looking into deeper brown eyes. 

"Thank you." Lara said finally. 

Sam shook her head. "No need." She replied. The two friends hugged once more before Sam finally rolled out of bed. 

Looking down at herself, Lara realized she was still in her clothes from yesterday. "Ugh..." she groaned. Normally Lara was able to wake up, get out of bed, and go through her morning routine without putting much thought into it. Today was not one of those days. It was like she couldn't figure out where to start. 'Right,' she thought to herself. 'Shower first, get dressed, then breakfast, yes... oh yeah and brushing teeth in there somewhere, maybe some makeup would be good? Shoes! I'm gonna need shoes at some point... bloody hell!' As she stood and headed to the bathroom, she briefly wondered if this is what it felt like to be hung over. 

She undressed, used the toilet and then turned on the shower. As the water got hot, she brushed her teeth and washed her face. She showered without washing her hair. She just couldn't be bothered with the effort today. After getting out and drying off, she realized that she hadn't picked out any clean clothes to wear yet, and reentered her room in just her towel. Sam and Lara had seen each other naked numerous times, so neither paid attention, it was just another step along the way that Lara noticed she had completely forgotten about. 

Sam, normally being the one Lara was waiting on, had changed out of her sleepwear and was dressed and ready to go when Lara came out of the bathroom. 

"I'll wait for you downstairs." She said.

Lara nodded. "Yeah, alright." Lara dressed quickly in her school uniform, including her black knee-length skirt, grey blouse, and pale blue sweater. She looked around for her backpack, panicking briefly before she remembered that she had left it in her classroom, when she'd been called to the Headmistress' office. 

"Shit!" She muttered to herself. 

She reached the bottom of the stairs, saying to Sam, "Hey Sam, I'm gonna have to go..." She stopped short. Sam stood leaning against the couch, holding up Lara's backpack. 

"Looking for this?" Sam asked. 

"Yeah, actually." Lara replied. She looked to Sam with a questioning glance, and a quirked eyebrow. 

Sam just shrugged. "Lindsey brought it by yesterday." Sam explained. Lindsey was sitting on the couch, a book open, per the usual for her. She was a quiet, soft-spoken girl, with medium length, strawberry blonde hair. Lara didn't know her very well, despite being housemates. Other than that, and the fact that she was American, Lara didn't really know anything else about her. She was also in Lara's advanced algebra class, the one Lara had been called out of the day before. 

"Thanks, Lins!" Lara said. It wasn't till then that Lindsey looked up from her book. She colored slightly and shrugged her shoulders. 

"No biggie." She said, immediately going back to her book. 

Lara took her bag, and together with Sam, they headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. A thick layer of frost covered the ground as they walked. The grass crunched under foot, same as the gravel almost. The cold bit at Lara's nose and ears. It burned her lungs, and condensed as vapor when she exhaled. It made her feel alive though and she welcomed it. 

After breakfast Sam and Lara parted ways. Lara had english first hour, while Sam had her math class. Per the usual they parted with a hug, if maybe a bit warmer and a bit more tender, this one. 

Once on her own though, Lara found it much more difficult to keep her mind off her parents. She focused on anything she could, from her walking and her breathing, to anything in her immediate surroundings. The grounds of the school were actually very pleasant early in the morning, especially with the bright orange sunlight reflecting off the frost. She squinted as she walked into the near blinding glare. The campus was made up of mostly old, stone buildings, though all the interiors had recently been retrofitted. They had electricity, and running water, networked computers, and even a decent wi-fi connection covering most of the campus. She imagined what the school might have been like in it's early days, or what each building might have been used for originally, before they were all part of the school. Doing so, she managed to keep her mind fairly clear until finally she reached her classroom. 

"Lara?" Her English teacher, Mrs. Abernathy exclaimed, sounding surprised. 

"...Yes," Lara replied hesitantly, her teacher's surprised tone causing her to stop where she was, before she'd even reached her desk. 

"Sorry," Mrs. Abernathy said. "I just didn't expect you in class today." Lara was confused for a moment, but then remembered something that Mrs. Sanders had said in her office yesterday. The Headmistress had told her that she would be given the rest of the week off, which had meant Thursday and Friday. Then a car would be picking her up Friday afternoon and she would be flying home for a brief sabbatical to settle her parents' affairs. 

'Officially, it's a brief sabbatical,' Mrs. Sanders had said, 'but honestly, you can of course take as long as you need to, Lara.' Mrs. Sanders had then obviously informed all of Lara's teachers of what had happened, and told them not to expect her in class. 

"Right... I, uh... forgot." Lara said dumbly. "Sorry... I haven't really been thinking." 

"I understand." Mrs. Abernathy replied. "Do you need to talk to someone about it?" 

Lara shook her head. "No... no, but I do have a lot to do, if I'm going to be leaving and flying home tomorrow." She replied. "May I be excused?" 

"Of course." Mrs. Abernathy said. "Your absence has already been noted as excused. Please, have a safe trip, and take all the time you need."

"Thank you, Mrs. Abernathy." Lara said. 

Lara was back in her room. She had both her suitcases open and laid out on her bed, both sat empty as she stood staring at them. She'd been at the school for six years now. In that time she'd only made it back home three times, and it had been nearly three years since her last visit. She remembered how distant her parents had seemed during that most recent trip home, especially compared to her earlier childhood memories. 'Maybe you just romanticized your idea of your parents.' She told herself. 'Or maybe thats what happens after living 1,000 kilometers away from them for six years.' She countered. She shook her head clear of those thoughts. Neither of those perspectives were going to help her with her packing. 

Just before lunch Sam returned to the house and went up to her room. She found Lara standing there over one completely empty suitcase, and one with a single folded t-shirt in it. 

"You're leaving." Sam said after a moment of watching Lara stare her empty suitcases. 

Lara turned slowly to her friend, nodding her head. "Yeah..." She said. "There are things I need to... take care of, now that my parents are gone. I get... well, everything, I guess." 

"Wow." Sam replied. "Are you coming back?" She asked, almost as if she were afraid of the answer. 

"Of course." Lara answered with false confidence. She hoped she was. If she were completely honest with herself, she had no idea what exactly handling her parents' affairs was actually going to consist of, or how long it would take. She couldn't imagine never seeing her friend again though, so she had to believe that she'd be back. Sam just nodded, and Lara wasn't sure if her friend believed her or not either. 

"Do you need any help packing?" Sam asked. 

Lara shook her head. "You can keep me company though." She said. "I just need to figure out what I'm wearing tomorrow, and what I'm taking with me." 

"When do you leave?" 

"Tomorrow afternoon." Lara said. "A car is coming to pick me up to take me to the airport." 

Sam was quiet for a long time. "How long will you be gone?" She asked finally. Her voice soft and sad. 

Lara turned to look at her again."I don't know." She replied honestly. "I don't know how long, or even what it takes to settle an estate." 

Sam was quiet for a moment longer. "So your parents were pretty rich right? You think you'll get anything cool, like a private jet, or a yacht, or something?" Sam asked, unable to hide her smile. 

Lara couldn't help but smile too. "I don't know... I do remember my dad getting picked up by helicopter pretty often." Lara replied. "It would land right in our back yard, I'd go out and stand on the patio, waving goodbye until he was out of sight."

"That's pretty awesome!" Sam said. "You think that's what'll be waiting for you at the airport?"

Lara shrugged. "Maybe." She replied. She honestly hadn't given it much thought. Although the thought that she was about to board a plane, or a helicopter, to go home and claim an inheritance because her parents had died in a plane crash... that thought hadn't escaped her. She kept that one to herself though. 

Sam spent her entire lunch hour sitting in her room with Lara, just talking and listening to music. Sam sat on her bed, while Lara went from her dresser, to her closet, to her suitcases. She was a bit surprised that Lara let her play her own music. Normally her music was a bit heavy for Lara's tastes, but she figured Lara had even heavier things on her mind at the moment. 

Several times Lara even asked for the name of the artist. The Pandora station on Sam's phone had a lot of System of a Down and Korn on it, along with some Rise Against and Avenged Sevenfold. It was a lot different from Lara's normal, Ed Shereen and Adele playlists. Soon though the lunch hour was over, and Sam had to go to her afternoon classes. She offered to leave her phone for Lara.

"No, that's alright" Lara said, "I'll see ya tonight, yeah?" 

"Of course." Sam replied, giving Lara a quick hug before she left for class. 

Lara spent about half of the remainder of that afternoon packing, the other half she spent wondering how she fit her entire life into two suitcases. 'I don't know if that's a good thing, or a bad thing.' She thought to herself. 

At supper time, Lara headed downstairs and made her way to the cafeteria, meeting Sam there. She got a few strange looks as the only one there not wearing her school uniform, but she was sitting with Sam and the rest of her housemates, and they all knew by now what was going on. They all had a good time, laughing and joking as they ate. Even Lindsey was uncharacteristically outgoing. It was just the release of tension that Lara needed to help start the healing process. She knew it was just the beginning, and she was aware that facing her childhood home would probably present a whole new set of challenges, but she was finally over that initial shock she got from receiving the news of her parents' death.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed that. Please feel to leave feedback in the comments, or follow me/leave an ask on my Tumblr @ [Counting Karma](http://countingkarma.tumblr.com/)
> 
> In the next chapter... Lara discovers her parents were keeping secrets, but who can she trust with said secrets?


End file.
